Houseplant & Bathrooms - Perfect Partners

Many houseplants benefit from being in a bathroom. The extra humidity helps encourage growth and flowering, and to keep the plants healthy. Understandably, plants which originate in jungle areas do best in these steamy atmospheres – anthuriums, all kinds of orchids, bromeliads, ferns and even palms (if you have the space!). In fact any plant with smooth, glossy leaves is likely to do well in the warm moist air.

For us humans, the benefits are also great. The bathroom is the one room in our homes we can guarantee to be in at least twice a day, however hectic our lifestyle. A brightly-coloured flowering houseplant can put a smile on our face first thing in the morning, and cheer us up last thing at night! Plants also bring a welcome splash of colour, movement and life to what can be a very stark, white, minimal room – plants soften the hard edges and make it look lived-in and welcoming.


Ferns - all ferns love the humidity in bathrooms, from the lime green shiny asplenium to the grey-green feathery adiantum.

Bromeliads - a huge family of plants, with tongue-twisting names such as neoregelia, guzmania, vriesea and aechmea. Thankfully they are extremely easy to care for ! All have a rosette of long strappy leaves, with a dramatic central trumpet or spike in a contrast colour.

Orchids      
Oncidium & paphiopedilum – both beautiful orchids. The oncidium is dainty, airy, with tiny golden blossoms along long slender stems; the paphiopedilum (or slipper orchid) more solid in impact, with one large purple-green exotic flower above a clump of interestingly mottled leaves.
Phalaenopsis - is very easy to look after for an orchid, and flowers for ages with large white oval flowers.

Anthuriums - big shiny leaves, big heart shaped glossy eyecatching flowers. Wipe the leaves to keep them clean.

Peperomia - wonderfully crinkly leaf surfaces and a bronzy-purple sheen make this plant doubly attractive. Small, compact shape. Loves humidity, but don’t overwater it.

Rhipsalis - a strange and fascinating looking plant with long skinny stems (actually adapted leaves) forming a fountain of foliage. It’s a type of cactus – not that you’d ever guess. Water regularly in the summer and less so in the winter.

Begonia - not the flowering begonia people may be familiar with, but the more elegant and unusual foliage begonia. There are many forms of this plant, with different yet equally attractive leaf markings and colourations. Like the peperomia, be careful not to overwater.